Palomarez
by dlhs8954
Summary: Based on the two episodes involving Colonel Palomarez. What if, on his way back to the tavern after being scratched, Zorro ran into Victoria and tells her he's been poisoned. Will she continue to treat Diego flippantly?
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE – A Deal with the Devil**

It was a beautiful, calm day in the pueblo with no hint that a cruel dictator was about to take over the pueblo without a shot being fired. Two children saw the soldiers first, and ran to their mother. They pointed out the coming of a group of riders to a lancer who was standing around. A woman looked up from the water fountain to see the small army of Royal Guardsmen as they rode swiftly into the pueblo.

The lancer rushed over to Tavern Victoria to notify Sergeant Mendoza, who was playing cards at an outside table. Mendoza grabbed his helmet and rose from the table, fastening his helmet chin strap and buttoned his jacket collar while he walked.

A sinister, but distinguished looking gentleman looked around the pueblo with disdain. He rode up to Mendoza and introduced himself. He was wearing a fancy version of the still popular three-cornered hat. His uniform was fancier than normal, yet plain, with wide gold brocade trim, and a striking red sash. He cut an impressive figure. His voice was a deep bass, crisp, bold, and clear. It held an air of authority behind it.

"I am Colonel Mefisto Palomarez of the Royal Spanish Army." He turned to his men, indicating Mendoza. "And they call this a soldier! Pitiful!" To Mendoza, he said, "Where is your commandant?"

Mendoza tried to be calm, but he was a bit unnerved. "At his office. It is lunch time."

"Get – him!" The Colonel emphasized each word separately, but curtly.

Mendoza tried to be pleasant. "You just don't _get_ the Alcade."

Palomarez was no-nonsense. "Now!" He held command presence. When Palomarez gave a command and said 'jump,' his soldiers asked 'how high.'

As Mendoza trotted to the Alcalde's office, he stopped and turned around, squinting in the mid-afternoon sun. The Alcalde's door was open, so he bowed as he walked through the door. He knew Luis Ramone didn't like to be disturbed on his lunch break, but he also knew that he needed to obey the soldier in the plaza.

"Alcalde, it's Colonel Palomarez out there with some men. They look more like conquistadores. They don't look friendly."

Ramone looked up from his desk and glared at Mendoza for interrupting his lunch. "Who did you say is out there?"

"Colonel Palomarez, Alcalde." Mendoza visibly gulped.

Ramone's expression revealed his surprise. He knew there was no way Mendoza could be making this up. He got up from his desk. Mendoza turned to exit and Ramone followed.

"I don't _believe_ it!" Mendoza and Ramone came out the office door and stood for a moment under the overhang roof so that the alcalde could see who had come. Ramone spoke the name with awe. "Colonel Palomarez…they called him 'the butcher' during the Yucatan campaign. The ultimate soldier. He's an expert swordsman. I wish I had more time to prepare a proper welcome…"

When he saw the local alcalde come out from the office, the Colonel dismounted and waited where he was for Alcalde Ramone to formally greet him. Ramone quickly hurried towards the visitor, holding his right arm out in a sweeping gesture of welcome. Mendoza followed.

"Ah, Colonel Palomarez! This is indeed an honor!" As Ramone walked towards the Colonel, they met a moment. Then Ramone turned around, and the two walked together. Mendoza and a couple of Palomarez's men followed a short distance behind.

Colonel Palomarez got straight to the point. "Word of your trouble with the rebel bandit Zorro has reached Madrid. I am here to eliminate him."

Ramone stifled a speculative and mocking laugh, then had another thought. _Maybe I can get his sympathy_. "Ah, begging your pardon, Colonel, Zorro is no ordinary bandit. The people have taken him into their hearts. They have thwarted my every effort…" Ramone gestured in frustration.

"_Effort_? I am here for _results_." Palomarez turned back towards his men, leaving Ramone deep in thought. Palomarez walked back to his horse, then turned and faced the people who had gathered, so he could make his announcement.

He raised his voice for all to hear. "The king of Spain has ordered the arrest and execution of the man known as Zorro." A young man with more passion than common sense stepped up and said, "You'll never catch Zorro!"

Palomarez corrected him. "You're quite wrong about that." He gave a signal to one of his soldiers standing behind the young man. He tapped the teenager on the shoulder, then proceeded to punch him out. The crowd gasped in horror and fear. Ramone grew very concerned. This man was every bit as dangerous as he'd heard. As much as he wanted Zorro captured, Ramone was almost afraid of how far this 'butcher' would go.

Palomarez turned to the Alcalde. "By sunset, I want the name of every person living in this pueblo."

"Why, what for?" Ramone was very worried now.

"There will be a lottery at midnight to determine who will hang at sunrise in the place of Zorro."

With some shock and surprise, Ramone spluttered, "But Colonel, you can't go around executing people without good reason!"

Palomarez strode with great authority towards the townsfolk. "Perhaps I have not made myself clear." He raised his voice as he walked in front of the small crowd of curious townspeople, slowly passing by each and every one, looking them in the eye. But not many of them could or would look the colonel in the eye.

"Henceforth, one of your citizens will die every day…" He stopped to admire a young woman's hair and caress it, as if he owned her. "…until Zorro is delivered to me." As he moved along, he finally ended up back in front of Alcalde Ramone. As he walked away, the astonished Ramone just stood there, gaping.

Z

"Clear the tavern!" Palomarez was taking over. Soldiers were upstairs evicting customers from their rooms through great struggle. Victoria Escalante was upstairs yelling "Let go! Stop it! All our rooms are full!" She hurried downstairs, and even though Palomarez towered above her by about six to eight inches, she wasn't afraid of him.

"You are throwing out paying customers!" She glared at him with a look that would have melted most men. He nonchalantly replied, "My men and I prefer privacy in our accommodations." At that, a customer was summarily 'helped' to roll down the stairs.

From outside, Alcalde Ramone heard the disturbance. He swiftly came into the tavern and tried to take charge. "What is going on in here?" he demanded.

Palomarez stood face-to-face with Ramone as if he had every right to demand whatever he wanted. "My men need their rest and privacy."

Alcalde Ramone attempted to be calm, yet reason with the visitor. "Colonel, this tavern is the only public place in all of Los Angeles. To close it to the public would mean…"

"….Absolutely nothing to me! Now stand aside, and allow us to get on with our work!" Palomarez was totally unfazed by Luis Ramone. He saw Ramone for what he was – a petty little despot who pretended to be a man of great authority, but was himself only bent by someone more ruthless than he. _I am more ruthless than he is_, thought Palomarez. _He cares too much about what others think of him_. _That is a weakness I can exploit_.

Ramone replied, "Colonel, I really must insist!" Ramone was desperate, but he didn't want to offend Palomarez.

"You still don't understand. Until further notice, this is _my_ pueblo." Palomarez looked him straight in the eye, and knew he had the authority to back up everything he said.

Ramone knew there was nothing he could do. He turned and left. Palomarez continued, "Clear the tavern!"

More customers were hauled roughly from their rooms and forced out of the tavern. It was chaotic. Sergeant Mendoza saw the Senorita, and pulled Victoria aside. He felt it was his duty to help protect her, since there was no other man around to act on her behalf. He pulled her back through the curtains that went to the kitchen.

As Mendoza backed up, he ran into the butcher block prep table. A large butcher knife lay with its point at his back and it pricked him. He uttered an exclamation, then turned around to see the offending instrument. He picked up the knife and looked at it. "Ay muchita!"

A side door to the kitchen opened and daylight streamed through. It was Diego de la Vega, who had seen Mendoza and Victoria sneak into the kitchen. He needed to find out what was going on, and figured they were the ones who could tell him. He'd seen the small army as they rode past the hacienda, and knew he needed to investigate.

Diego gently warned, "Careful Sergeant. That's sharp." Victoria grabbed the knife from Mendoza and put it down on the table out of anyone's way.

"Yes, Mendoza, you could get hurt!" Victoria was clearly annoyed.

Mendoza asked, "What are you doing here, Don Diego?"

Victoria looked at Diego with some irritation. _Curious, he is, but action oriented, he is not_, she thought. _And _that_ is what irritates me about him!_

"Yes, Diego, what _are_ you doing here? Are you going to _do_ something about this? Are you going to help me take back my tavern?" Victoria's eyes flashed her anger.

Diego remained calm. "Well, I saw the 'glorious' Colonel and his men approaching, and I decided that discretion might be the better part of valor," he said smiling. "It certainly would have been for the Alcalde."

"And what is the Alcalde going to _do_ about Palomarez?" Victoria's eyes flashed in anger.

Mendoza looked at her questioning. "What _can_ he do? Palomarez is a colonel, and the order is from the king!"

"So, we're just going to let a madman take control of the pueblo!" Victoria was livid!

Mendoza tried to be a voice of reason. "Believe me, the Alcalde would like nothing better than to have Palomarez gone!" To Diego he said, "But until Zorro's captured, what can he do?"

Diego stood there with his arms folded, and shrugged his shoulders. He thought, _this Colonel is no Ramone. He will be a force to be reckoned with._

**Z**

Back at the hacienda, Diego sat in the library, twiddling a feather quill. He wished his father was home, but he'd had to go away on ranch business for a few days. He needed his father's wisdom. Mendoza and Victoria had filled him in on the Colonel's plan to draw a name at midnight of someone in the pueblo who would be hung in the morning if Zorro didn't show up.

He knew he had to plan very carefully. There was no way he would allow an innocent person to die in his place. He looked at the clock. It was 6:00 p.m. – six hours until the lottery. He would be there to see what happened – whose name was drawn – but he still had no idea what to do yet. _Maybe there is a chance the Colonel could be talked out this,_ he thought. _But I doubt it. I have to come up with something – but what?_

As Diego tripped the hidden latch, Felipe came through the fireplace.

"Ah Felipe. I was just coming down to see what kind of supplies we have. We've got to make some sort of plan. This Colonel Palomarez is no Alcalde Ramone. He's much worse. We will need all our cunning in order to defeat him."

Felipe nodded in agreement. He signed "With you." Diego said aloud, "Yes, you're with me. I don't know what I'd do without you my friend. Let's go see what we've got. Maybe something will present itself as a solution."

**Z**

At midnight, many of the citizens of the pueblo had gathered in the tavern for the lottery. Colonel Palomarez made his way through the townspeople to a large cooking pot which held all the names of the people in the pueblo. It sat on a table.

On one side of the table stood Diego, on another stood Luis Ramone. The Alcalde tried one more attempt at logical reasoning. Even though Palomarez was here supposedly on behalf of the king, Ramone knew that if his people were executed one by one, it would reflect very poorly on his own leadership of the pueblo. "Colonel, I beg you to reconsider."

"Sniveling will not bring me Zorro." Palomarez could not believe the weakness of this alcalde. He'd heard that Ramone was a tough, no-nonsense commandant, but obviously he'd been misinformed. Ramone had obviously been intimidated by this bandit known as Zorro. The Colonel didn't know the particulars, but he could read the signs.

"But summary executions! Not even _I_ would conceive of such a thing!" Luis Ramone had an epiphany! _At least I'm not as bad as he is,_ he thought.

Palomarez smirked. "It _is_ brilliant in its simplicity." He raised his voice to the crowd. "I am here to draw the name of the individual who will face the gallows at sunrise." A murmur made its way through the crowd. "This wasn't right! This wasn't fair! Where's Zorro? Why isn't he here to rid us of this tyrant?"

Diego looked down, apparently in deep thought. He stood with a foot on the leg of a stool. He quietly, but nervously, tapped his fingers on his knee. _Truly, Palomarez is a madman. Victoria was right about that_. _He is much more dangerous than Ramone_. He was here to see Palomarez up close – so he could formulate the best response. He had a few ideas already, but wasn't sure which option to choose.

Ever passionate, Victoria now spoke up. "This is not justice! This is _murder_!"

Palomarez looked around, and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. "Bring Zorro to me before dawn, and only _he_ will face the hangman's noose."

At this, Diego decided to enter into the conversation. "Senor…" he warned. Mendoza picked up on Diego's irritation, and gently cautioned him. "Careful Don Diego." He liked Diego, and didn't want to see anything happen to him. Mendoza thought Diego was a little naïve about evil men.

Palomarez looked Diego in the eye. He hadn't really taken note of the caballero before. "Do you have some _particular_ knowledge of Zorro, Senor?"

Diego answered, crossing his arms in an unconscious attempt to forestall and protect himself, closing himself off to any verbal or otherwise attack.

"Zorro is a difficult man to know. We've always been _protected_ by his secret identity. That has kept us safe from the excesses of the military." At that, Ramone and Mendoza looked down for a moment, then up. They knew Diego was talking about them and their 'excesses.'

Victoria interjected, "It's true! We do not know _who_ he is or _where_ he is! So your threats of violence will _not_ help you find him." Mendoza looked at Victoria with pride in her spunk.

"I certainly think it's worth a try." Palomarez sneered as he drew out a name. "The first person to die under the curse of your Zorro is…" he looked up with an evil smile. "…Sergeant Jaime Mendoza!"

The crowd in the tavern reacted with shock and dismay. Mendoza went into shock and fainted in the Alcalde's arms. Ramone caught him as he fell. The guardsmen tied Mendoza's hands behind his back, while Ramone protested. "You can't be serious! Military personnel should not be included in this!"

"Ah, but they are Senor. Even _your_ name is in the bowl." Ramone could not believe his ears! "My God!" he whispered. _This man truly was a madman_. _He was horrified_! There was nothing he could do except wait and hope that Zorro would give himself up.

"Persist with your interference, and _yours_ will be the _only_ name in the bowl!" Palomarez warned. "Take him!" As the guardsmen dragged the half-conscious Mendoza away, he gave the alcalde a look of desperation. He looked like a lost puppy.

With all sincerity and great regret in his voice, Alcalde Ramone said, "I'm sorry, Sergeant." Mendoza looked over to Victoria and Diego. Both of them were looking down. Diego was in deep thought, but he was also trying to control his inner rage.

Victoria looked worried. "Zorro should have shown himself by now." Diego stroked his chin, not something he did often, but he was still in deep thought. "Don't worry, Zorro will help somehow." _But how_, Diego thought. _It was going to take all the planning, cunning and trickery he possessed._ He only hoped he could come up with a viable plan to not only save Sergeant Mendoza, but also keep himself out of the hangman's noose.

At that Ramone said in all sincerity, "Unless he's learned what we already know…"

"And what's that Alcalde?" Diego asked calmly, but with great underlying interest.

Ramone's thoughts were far away, but he looked up at Diego and replied, "That Colonel Palomarez is a man with no mercy."


	2. Chapter 2  The Fox Outfoxed?

**CHAPTER TWO – The Fox Outfoxed?**

As Diego rode back to the hacienda, he was still in deep thought. Except for Felipe and himself, there was no one at the hacienda. The servants were given a couple of days off, with only Maria the cook on duty, and she only came to prepare and serve meals. She usually left in the early evening. The vaqueros stayed in their bunkhouse.

As he entered the cave, Diego's frustration came tumbling out. "Colonel Palomarez is a _madman_! There is no _reasoning_ with him! And as our 'esteemed' alcalde said, he has no mercy, either. He's going to _hang_ Sergeant Mendoza at dawn – unless…unless _I_ give myself _up_!"

Felipe looked up in shock. After explaining to him what he'd learned in the pueblo, Diego said, "There seems to be only one way to get Sergeant Mendoza off the hook."

"Zorro will have to give himself up." If Felipe could look even more shocked, he would. He shook his head wildly.

"Don't worry, Felipe. It will be on _my_ terms, not his. We'll simply plan it that once Mendoza is free, I will escape myself, with Toronado's help, of course – and yours!"

Throughout the next couple of hours, as Diego bounced things off Felipe, they both realized at least one back-up plan was also going to be needed. They thought of contingency after contingency and tried to plan for all of them.

**Z**

Around 2:30 a.m., Zorro rode through the countryside on his way into the pueblo. He quietly positioned Toronado outside the window, then did what he had to do to enable his escape – in case his first plan didn't work – this would be part of Plan B.

**Z**

It was dark in the tavern, and quiet. All of the Colonel's men had gone to bed. Only Palomarez was up, sitting at a table entering the day's events in his journal. His sword was next to him on the table. Although a wall sconce was lit, the colonel had a single candle on the table near his writing, and his jacket hung over a corner of the table.

All of a sudden, he felt the tap of the end of a sword on his shoulder. "Zorro!" he whispered, his eyes opened wide. "Shhhh," came the reply.

"Guards!" Palomarez said in a hoarse whisper. Zorro's sword moved up to his throat.

"Pleeeaaaase," Zorro said softly, as he drew out the word. "People are trying to sleep. Keep your voice down, or your sleep could be longer than you'd like."

Palomarez was alarmed, but there was no way he was going to show that. He was also somewhat angry at himself for almost being caught by surprise. "In the event of my death, I have given orders for my men to execute two people each day until your capture."

Zorro replied, "I'm not here to take your life, Senor."

"Prove it."

"Under certain conditions, I'm prepared to surrender." Zorro removed his sword from the colonel's throat and re-sheathed it, all the while looking at Palomarez to gauge every nuance, every word, watching for the treachery he expected to show itself.

Palomarez rose from the table with his drink in his hand. Now, he looked at Zorro with a hard, calculating eye. A small, smug smile of perceived victory crept up his lips.

A small gracious smile came and went on Zorro's lips.

"What are the conditions for your surrender?" Palomarez asked, more out of curiosity than anything else. He knew he would never abide by any conditions except his own, but he didn't want his adversary to know that.

Zorro said confidently, crossing his arms. "That you and I meet on a field of honor, man-to-man."

Palomarez smirked. "I'm a master swordsman. You wouldn't dare challenge me."

Zorro replied confidently, "I would _indeed_, Senor."

"I promise you an agonizing death." His smirk turned ugly.

"Justice for the people is not without its price," Zorro said softly, with confidence and with honor. He kept his folded his arms in front of him. If Palomarez had thought back a few hours, a certain caballero also folded his arms. But the colonel was a soldier, not a body language expert. He didn't make the connection.

Palomarez walked towards him. "Shall we say the Plaza, at sunrise?"

"Si. If I win, you and your men must leave Los Angeles."

Palomarez said with all seriousness, "And if you lose, then you will die."

In all seriousness, Zorro replied, "In either case, innocent people will be kept from the gallows."

"You are _indeed_ a man of honor."

"Gracias, Senor." Zorro's face shone with humility and grace.

Smirking again, Palomarez said, "And a _fool_!" With his voice raised, he called out, "Guards! Guards!"

Zorro's look said, _I expected as much_. Guards appeared from all sides.

"Put him behind bars. He hangs at sunrise." Palomarez lifted his glass in a toast to himself with great satisfaction. With muskets in his face, Zorro was led away. He went quietly, without a word. _So far, this is what I expected_, Zorro thought. _We can get out of this. Toronado is ready_.

**Z**

At the jail, a guardsman opened the door leading to the cells. Mendoza stood pacing in the far cell. Zorro was led in and put next to Mendoza, who looked on in shock! Zorro flashed a smile at Mendoza.

"_Zorro_! It can't be true! _Zorro_ – is it really _you_?" Mendoza's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Indeed it _is_, Sergeant! I hope my arrival didn't awaken you." He was still smiling, his manner relaxed and easy. _Yes, I think this will work nicely_, he thought. _It's all a matter of timing_.

The sergeant's expression was miserable. "Oh no, I couldn't sleep anyway. You see, they're going to hang me tomorrow, and only _Zorro_ could save me, and now – _you're_ here. They'll _hang_ _you_."

"Excellent point, Sergeant. I really should do something about this, don't you think?" His effervescent charm still exuded from his jail cell.

"Yes, of course, but what can you do?" Mendoza felt a grain of hope, but he had no idea how all this would work out.

**Z**

Outside the tavern, Palomarez met Ramone in the plaza. Palomarez said quickly to the alcalde, "We have Zorro. He's in the jail."

Ramone was clearly shocked! "Zorro! It's impossible!"

"Are you doubting me?"

"Oh, I'm not doubting you Colonel. You just make it sound so easy." Ramone thought, _how could he do this when I couldn't? He's here only one day, and he has Zorro in jail. I've been here a couple of _years_, and I've _never_ been able to do it!_

"It _is_ easy when you _know_ what you are doing, Ramone. The man is nothing more than a criminal. I merely met him on his own terms."

Ramone stopped a moment. "What about my man? What about Sergeant Mendoza?"

Palomarez stopped as well. "Now that we have Zorro, his sentence is commuted." Palomarez walked away. Ramone looked up to heaven in gratitude, and determination. Now, he couldn't wait. _Who is the man behind the mask? I'm going to finally find out! _Ramone thought.

**Z**

Meanwhile, inside the jail, Zorro pulled his sword and whip through the bottom of the bars from string that seemed nearly invisible. "Our little secret, Sergeant. Or else…" and did a slash of the throat gesture. Mendoza kept quiet. His respect for the masked man and his ingenuity was growing by the second. _Maybe I'll live through this. Maybe Zorro will live through this, too_, he thought. _No wonder Zorro defeats the Alcalde all the time. He really is cunning like a fox. I wish I had some of that cunning. I'm a simple man, what you see is what you get_.

At that moment, Alcalde Ramone entered. "So you are _finally_ here!" He was beaming! He couldn't have been happier! _I can't believe Zorro is _finally_ in _myjail_! Who IS this man who has outsmarted me at every turn? I can't _wait_ to find out!_

"I offered the Colonel a fair fight, but we seem to have had a slight misunderstanding," Zorro smiled with all graciousness. He spoke with all humility, but he also knew what he was about to do – at just the right moment. He knew Ramone would want to gloat. _Well, let him have his moment_, Zorro thought. _It won't last long_.

Palomarez sneered, "There is no misunderstanding." The Alcalde's expression was one of pure glee. "You hang in three hours."

Ramone had to get his two cents' worth in. "Considering that reality, I'm going to _unmask_ you now."

Mendoza was shocked. "_You're_ going to unmask – _Zorro_!" Zorro continued smiling his charming smile. _Well, Plan B is definitely working. They haven't released Sergeant Mendoza yet, but everything is ready for my escape. I just have to wait for the right moment_, Zorro thought.

"Sergeant, his capture means your freedom!" Ramone 'pointed' that out, literally – to Mendoza.

"Yes, good, but – he is – _Zorro_! Something of a tradition around here." Mendoza couldn't believe it! How could the Alcalde even _think_ of unmasking him here in jail!

Palomarez asked menacingly, "Perhaps you would rather die in his place?"

Mendoza sounded a bit desperate. "I didn't _say_ that."

Ramone had heard enough. "Sergeant – enough!" To Zorro, he said, "I'm going to _unmask_ you now." He gloated, and so did Palomarez. Their expressions showed the pride they both had in themselves and their own abilities to defeat their foes.

Zorro knew that _now_ was the time. Unfortunately, he was not going to be able to free Mendoza at present. _That will have to wait until morning_, he thought. All the while when talking to Palomarez in the tavern, and talking to Ramone here in jail, Zorro had a 'humble' and softer tone of voice. _It was part of my plan to make them think they have the upper hand,_ he thought. "I thought you might be paying me a little visit, Alcalde. So I took the opportunity to ask Toronado to drop by."

At that, Palomarez grabbed the keys from Ramone and hurriedly tried to open the door. "You are going to _hang_!" But he fumbled with the keys.

Zorro graciously spread his arms wide. "Colonel, we have an appointment with fate, remember?"

Zorro whistled for Toronado, who whinnied in response. Before he entered the tavern to 'give himself up' to Palomarez, Zorro had secured a rope around the barred window and tied the other end to Toronado's saddle horn. As Toronado moved away from the window, he took the bars with him.

Zorro gave them his farewell greeting, "Buenos noches, Senor." He climbed out the window as Palomarez fumbled to open the door. 'I _HAD_ him! I _HAD_ him!"

Mendoza said, "Yes, you _HAD_ him." Toronado was heard running away. They all knew who was riding the big, black stallion.

Palomarez was furious! He looked at Mendoza with a look that chilled the sergeant to the bone. "With Zorro's escape, the sentence is re-instated. You hang at dawn." Mendoza's hopeless look returned.

**Z**

_Plan B…I hope it works_, Zorro thought as he rode through the countryside. _I hoped they would release Sergeant Mendoza right away, but they didn't. Now that I've escaped, they'll proceed with their original plan to hang Mendoza. I can't let that happen. Plan B. It should work. Plan A could have worked – only if Colonel Palomarez had been an honorable man. I knew he wasn't, but I still had to take that chance. Nothing about my 'arrest' was surprising. We'd planned for it, and I escaped. I feel bad about leaving the Sergeant in jail overnight to hang, but I know that come daybreak, Plan B will surely work. Then, it will just be Colonel Palomarez and me on a field of honor. I have to make sure that happens_.

Back in the cave, Diego and Felipe worked up the little surprises for later. Diego said, "All right, we're ready. Bring me an arrow, Felipe." He was working with something like dark gray clay in his hands, rolling it, shaping it, working with it.

"This is nothing more than a chemical compound, held together by charcoal and sulfur. It's all quite harmless, unless it's mixed together." He nonchalantly tossed the dark gray ball to Felipe, who caught it with astonishment. He held it like a hot potato.

"It's all right, "Diego snickered. "Gunpowder is not really that dangerous until it meets with friction or heat. Zorro will certainly provide plenty of heat at sunrise. Bring me another arrow."

Diego took a bit of the dark clay and folded it in a piece of cloth, and began wrapping string around it to hold it in place.

**Z**

At sunrise, Zorro rode to the pueblo and looked for his best vantage point. The best place was the top of the Church. He would have a clear shot anywhere from there. _Yes, that's the best place_, Zorro thought.

Mendoza was taken from the jail and marched to the gallows. When he got close, Victoria stopped him a moment. She grabbed his arms, looked at him with great sympathy and said, "Vaya con Dios." She planted a kiss on both cheeks. Mendoza said nothing, but his thoughts were racing. He was in shock. _I am on my way to death. I don't hold out much hope of being rescued by Zorro. After all, as a soldier, I have tried to capture Zorro more than once. Even if I don't try to fight one-on-one with Zorro anymore, I think Zorro probably doesn't have much feeling for me. My only hope for escape vanished when Zorro escaped._

Mendoza mounted the platform. A guardsman put the rope over his head. Everyone looked up. Mendoza looked down. _I will be brave until the end_, he decided. _But I'm not happy about it_. _I am going to miss the Senorita's enchiladas, but I will miss her tamales more. I wonder if my life has counted for something. I have always tried to be helpful to others, but I am a soldier. I follow orders. That's all I know._

"Is everything ready?" Palomarez had put the Alcalde in charge of his own man's execution.

Through gritted teeth, Ramone answered, "As you ordered, Colonel." _Even though Sergeant Mendoza is an imbecile, he was faithful, followed orders, and 'loyal' as all good soldiers are_, thought Ramone.

"Read the declaration." He handed the parchment to Ramone, who read…

"Under emergency military law, and authority of the king in Spain, the prisoner is sentenced to death by hanging." The crowd murmured loud in protest.

Unseen by those in the plaza, Zorro climbed his whip to the roof of the church. There, with bow and arrows, he shot his gunpowder charges. When they exploded, it gave the impression that the pueblo was under attack. A slightly different way than he had tried it a year or so earlier with Ramone, but effective nonetheless.

The townspeople scattered, yelling and screaming. All over town, charges went off. Palomarez was confused and enraged. Mendoza thought, _hmmm, maybe I'll get out of this after all. That has to be Zorro! He did come to my rescue after all!_

"What is _that_!" Palomarez asked, his face turning red with rage.

"_That_ – is _Zorro_!" Victoria answered with a great smile on her face!

"_Zorro_! He must be leading an attack on the pueblo!" Ramone knew it had to be Zorro, and stifled his 'happiness' at having Mendoza's execution interrupted. Ramone remembered this tactic from about a year to year and a half ago. He was never quite sure if it was just a tactic or if Zorro really did have a small army that backed him up from time to time. _This will be interesting_, Ramone thought to himself.

Palomarez barked "If it's a battle he _wants_, it's a battle he gets! Soldiers! To your mounts!" Palomarez's soldiers, Los Angeles lancers, and Alcalde Luis Ramone mounted up and rode out of the pueblo. The rest of the townspeople had scattered, leaving a fairly empty plaza for soldiers to ride out.

Mendoza still stood with the rope around his neck on the gallows, eyeing them. Victoria watched them ride out.

Palomarez shouted, "Brigadiers! Bring me the head of Zorro!"

From his vantage point out of the way, Jose Macias watched as Ramone led lancers and guardsmen out of town.

Palomarez mounted his horse to join in pursuit. Mendoza looked up and saw Zorro on the roof of the church, pointing a charged arrow at _him_!

"Hold still Sergeant." Zorro murmured to himself as he took aim. "Hold _very_ still." Mendoza watched as the arrow came his way. It hit its mark, the rope, and sliced through it cleanly. "Oh!" Mendoza couldn't help but exclaim as the rope was cut and he was free from it! He looked up with a huge grin – and got a corresponding big grin from Zorro! _Yeah! I hit the target_ – _and Mendoza will be free!_ Zorro thought, as he disappeared from the church roof. _The plan was going well. Now it was time to deal with Colonel Palomarez_.

Zorro swung down his rope and landed on the ground just as Palomarez rode towards him on his horse. Zorro casually drew his sword and laid it over his shoulder as he sauntered up towards the Colonel. When he got close enough, he cut the horse's reins. That threw the colonel off balance. Zorro smiled_. This was going to be fun – the humiliation of that nasty, stuffy Colonel! But I so love a good fight! I hope he gives me one_, Zorro thought. _He _said_ he was a master swordsman. So am I! This ought to be good!_

Victoria smiled in defiance. The colonel was cock-eyed on his horse. He dropped his sword and held on to the horse's neck to try to stay on. The townspeople were already laughing in mockery. Jose Macias smiled too. Mendoza laughed as he went down the gallows steps, his hands still tied behind his back. Victoria stood at the bottom and released Mendoza's hands.

Meanwhile, Palomarez leaned way over his horse's neck, as he tried to grab what little was left of the horse's reins, but fell off trying. He rolled in the dust, the wind knocked out of him. The people cheered. This man was a menace, and they felt he deserved some humiliation.

Mendoza said to Victoria, "This should be interesting." Victoria said with confidence, "Zorro will defeat him."

Mendoza smiled, and said with all sincerity, "I _hope_ _so_. I mean, I am a soldier, but I _hope_ _so_." He was very happy to be alive!

Palomarez was on his face in the dust. He'd been stunned when he fell off his horse. Zorro walked slowly towards him, his sword still casually slung over his shoulder, as if he hadn't a care in the world – and all the time in the world.

"May I present to you the head of Zorro – firmly attached to the body." He strolled up to Palomarez as if it was a Sunday picnic.

Palomarez picked himself up off the ground and grabbed his sword.

"You promised, Senor." Zorro was going to make sure Palomarez kept that promise. As he saluted with his sword, he said, "Just you and me."

And the swordfight began. Zorro lunged and advanced. Palomarez retreated. Then they circled. Palomarez lunged and Zorro retreated towards the gallows.

Victoria, still gloating over the outcome she knew must happen said, "Zorro will win!"

Mendoza reminded her, "Palomarez has never been beaten!"

Neither could take their eyes off the duel, which went on for several minutes. The two seemed evenly matched, first one, then the other would lunge and advance, then retreat.

As the swordfight continued, Zorro seemed a bit on the retreat. The hilts of their swords came together, and the two swordsmen were eye-to-eye with each other. Zorro took that opportunity to smile at Victoria, who returned it. Zorro threw off Palomarez, who tripped and nearly fell to the ground.

The fight now had Zorro 'retreating' up the gallows steps, and Palomarez followed. Zorro was able to parry each thrust of Palomarez. They both ended up at the top of the gallows. Palomarez lunged one last time. _I have him now_, thought Palomarez. _He's a dead man_.

Zorro parried and at the same time, kicked open the trap door. Palomarez unceremoniously fell through. The approximately eight-foot fall stunned him.

Zorro jumped from the gallows and grabbed the dazed Colonel from underneath, pulling him out. He put his arm around the soldier to keep him upright, but also took the opportunity to rub it in just a bit.

"As we agreed, Colonel, you must _leave_ Los Angeles." Palomarez was only semi-conscious. Zorro looked over to the crowd and called out to a peon. "Senor," asked Zorro, "may I borrow your mount?"

The peon gladly brought his white burro over. Palomarez looked up at Zorro and shook his head. _Not that_, he thought. _Not a donkey. That's too humiliating!_ Zorro took that opportunity to deliver a knockout blow, and then draped Palomarez brusquely over the back of the burro on his stomach.

The people cheered. Mendoza laughed. Zorro ended the fight with his final salute to Palomarez. At that moment, Alcalde Ramone rode through the pueblo gate with all the soldiers. They rode past the unconscious Palomarez on the white burro. Ramone stifled a laugh, but couldn't help but smile a half-crack smile. Then, he pretended to get serious, looking Zorro's way.

Zorro took advantage of that moment to 'slink' away, slouching behind the sergeant when he wasn't looking. Mendoza looked at his commanding officer with consternation. Was he still in trouble? Then he understood and whirled around – to face – no one!

"Zorro, I hereby place you under arrest…" was all he got out. To Victoria, he said, "Where did he go?" Victoria put on her most innocent 'I don't know' look and shrugged her shoulders.

"Where is he?" Mendoza asked her.

"Who?" she asked innocently.

"Zorro!" With great frustration, Mendoza growled between clenched teeth. "_How_ does he _do_ that?"

The townspeople saw Zorro riding away quickly from the pueblo and cheered. They had gotten their pueblo back.

**Z**

Back at the cave, Zorro was invigorated. He excitedly related what happened to Felipe while he changed into his Diego clothes.

"I do so love a good fight. Palomarez said he was a master swordsman. I could see his technique was masterful, if a little exaggerated. But in order to truly win a fight, one has to use every tool at their disposal – including one's fist! And the pretty white burro was the crowning touch!"

Felipe signed "_You_ are the master swordsman! No one is as good as you! Even your teacher said so!"

"Well Felipe, I will never rest on my laurels. I have to be diligent and aware every time I get out there to fight. At least Sergeant Mendoza is safe now, and the pueblo is back in the Alcalde's hands. Maybe he'll learn something from this. I know he was appalled at the Colonel's actions."

Felipe signed something.

"Well, since Palomarez took over the pueblo, there really wasn't anything Ramone could do about it."

Felipe signed, "Z." "Yes, Zorro took care of it."

And yet, Diego had a niggling feeling that his fight with the Colonel wasn't completely over. True, he had totally humiliated the 'butcher of Yucatan,' but he didn't think a man like Palomarez wouldn't take a humiliating defeat like this lying down. _And if he ever comes back, he'll be more dangerous than ever_, Diego thought. _I'll have to stay on my toes_.

**Z**

Ever the storyteller, Sergeant Mendoza was in the tavern having a drink with Victoria and Diego later that day.

"And there he was – sitting right next to me in jail." Mendoza spoke about Zorro as if he was a close personal friend.

Diego asked with feigned curiosity. "You actually _saw_ him there Sergeant?"

"Si, Don Diego. Zorro came _this close_ to the gallows." He put his thumb and index finger almost together.

Victoria interjected. "Yet he managed to escape from the Alcalde's prison."

Mendoza answered, "Oh, between you and me, this Zorro is a pretty smart fellow. He is perhaps, even a little bit smarter than the Alcalde."

Diego said in mock surprise, "No, do you really think so?"

Mendoza observed, "Zorro was completely responsible for Palomarez's departure."

Diego continued his 'innocent' questioning. "But how could he single-handedly drive such a tyrant from the pueblo? He must have had help."

Mendoza tried to be nonchalant in his self-aggrandizement. "Well _I_ was there – so there _was_ a certain official military presence."

Diego replied, "That's what I thought Sergeant. So when Colonel Palomarez returns, he'll certainly be looking for you as well."

It hadn't hit Mendoza yet. "No problem, when Palomarez returns, I'll just…" And with a look of alarm, he said, "Madre de Dios, Colonel Palomarez is coming _back_?"

Diego gave him a look that said, you never know, do you?


	3. Chapter 3  Palomarez Returns

**CHAPTER THREE – Palomarez Returns**

On a sleepy afternoon in Victoria's Tavern nearly a year after Palomarez had been thrown out of the pueblo, Sergeant Mendoza was 'teaching' Diego how to play poker, or so Mendoza thought. It had been quiet in the pueblo because Alcalde Luis Ramone had taken nearly all the lancers of the garrison with him on maneuvers to Monterrey. Sergeant Mendoza stayed behind as Acting Alcalde, with just a few others for pueblo maintenance.

"Well, you have finally met your match, Don Diego," Mendoza stated, with some pride, as he looked at his hand of cards.

"Yes, I can see you know this game very well, Sergeant," Diego said with only a small degree of sincerity. He was looking at his own hand of cards.

The soldier smirked immodestly. "Well, you do pick up a few tricks in the barracks." He set his cards down; a full house – a good hand.

Diego laid his cards – four of a kind – down on the table. "Then I suppose this is just beginner's luck?" he asked as he rose from the table.

Mendoza was astonished. "Buh, Buh, But I had a perfect hand," he spluttered.

Diego patted Mendoza's arm in consolation. "Why don't you let me buy you a nice lunch?"

Mendoza rose from the table and came and leaned on the counter. "Senorita Escalante, what are they serving for lunch today?" Mendoza was looking forward to a tasty lunch at Diego's expense.

Victoria replied with irritation. "The kitchen is closed. I had to dismiss the cook in order to pay for the alcalde's new bed tax. You have your commandant to thank for your empty belly." She was looking at her ledger and she wasn't happy with what she saw.

Mendoza tried to appease her. "Well…the Alcalde can be a bit aggressive. Look on the bright side…"

Victoria interrupted, "Mendoza, there _is_ no bright side to oppression." She was looking in her ledger book to see if there was any way she could start serving meals again. But as many times as she looked at the numbers before her, she couldn't see her way clear to purchase food. She could still serve drinks however.

Diego watched this exchange, but said nothing. Mainly, he watched Victoria, trying not to be too obvious in his admiration of her spirit. _Ah, she is beautiful_…he thought. He had already fallen in love with her, but was trying very hard not to show it.

Mendoza said, "Yes, but it is nice and quiet around here with most of the garrison away on maneuvers."

"Maneuvers! That is nothing more than an excuse for the Alcalde to take advantage of the summer air in Monterrey." Victoria said sarcastically.

Diego gave her a sympathetic smile. _She's beautiful when she's angry_, he thought.

Mendoza remembered something. "Well, the Alcalde is better than…Colonel Palomarez. Is he not?"

Diego looked at Mendoza with disregard. "That's not saying so much, Sergeant," he said.

"Sergeant Mendoza," Victoria said louder than she needed to, but her frustration was evident. "Please do not mention that name again in my tavern. I would rather _die_ than submit to his rule." With that, she closed her ledger book with a slam.

"Is that _so_, Señorita?" came a low, nasty voice everyone hoped they would never hear again. All eyes were drawn to the tavern's doorway to where Colonel Mefisto Palomarez stood. A few of his royal guardsmen flanked him.

"Death, you see," he stated with great deliberation, "is easily arranged."

Palomarez strolled up to the counter. He was conscious that all eyes were on him. He liked it that way. "I've just returned from Madrid. The king was quite upset to hear of the continued popular support of the renegade Zorro."

"Maybe he'd like to hear how upset _we_ are with the way we are treated!" Victoria retorted.

"That is precisely the traitorous attitude that has forced the king to reconsider all colonial property rights." Palomarez said with great satisfaction.

Diego was shocked, but recovered quickly. That niggling feeling of danger he'd had just after he'd driven Palomarez out of the pueblo around nine to ten months ago, came back with a vengeance. The hair stood up on the back of his neck. He swallowed, and tried not to look as alarmed as he felt. He didn't want to be right about this, but he had a premonition about the Colonel's return, and he now – here he was. The memory came back to him. _He'll be more dangerous than ever. I'll have to stay on my toes._

With his 'non-threatening' almost placating voice he said, "Forgive me, Colonel, but the king has already issued a number of land grants over the years." He had developed this 'voice' to calm down his father when he got upset, but used it whenever and wherever he thought necessary.

Palomarez drew attention to a document he was holding. "They are all rescinded. Null and void, as if they had never existed. This – is a new land grant – overriding all others." He handed the document to Diego.

Diego read through the document, speaking as he read, until he got to the last word. "So – all property in the territory belongs to – _you_!" Diego said, as he looked up to Palomarez with surprise.

Palomarez smiled with confidence.

Victoria said, "But that can't be legal!"

Diego held the grant somewhat over his left shoulder for Mendoza and Victoria to see. "It bears the king's signature."

Palomarez took the land grant out of Diego's hand and strutted over to stand face-to-face with Mendoza. "Where is the Alcalde?"

Mendoza straightened his coat, "In Monterrey on maneuvers. Very official military matters."

Palomarez looked Mendoza up and down. "Then bring me the acting commandant."

Mendoza fluffed his coat. "That is me."

"The incompetence is incredible." Palomarez gave a slight shake of his head. "Very well Sergeant, inform the local populace that they have 48 hours to either evacuate the territory or become subject to _my_ _rule_."

"Forty-eight hours?" Mendoza was incredulous. "But that's not even time to…"

"Perhaps you would rather face the gallows once again?" His voice rose with a menacing overtone.

"No sir. I mean yes, sir, right away sir." Mendoza ran off to inform as many people as he could.

Diego again asked, with as non-combative voice as possible, "I suppose you and your men will be stationed in the cuartel?"

"My men, yes." Looking quite full of himself, he said, "For _myself_, I have something that's a little bit, shall we say, _nicer_ – in mind."

**Z**

The 'nicer' accommodations the Colonel had in mind turned out to be the de la Vega hacienda. As his guardsmen carried his trunks into the foyer, Alejandro, Diego, and Felipe stood by in utter amazement. Alejandro was incensed, and he wouldn't stand for it. He'd been away when the Colonel was here before, but he'd heard all about the ruthlessness of the soldier upon his return. He'd listened with great interest as townspeople told him how Zorro humiliated and drove him out of the pueblo.

"I am Don Alejandro Sebastian de la Vega," he said firmly, with attitude. He was incensed! "I was born here! My son was born here. My father and his father set the first stones to this hacienda. You can't throw me out of my own house!"

Diego and Felipe watched the Colonel's men bring in his trunks – it truly looked like he was planning to stay awhile. Diego gave a sly elbow to Felipe and nodded towards the fireplace, while he sidled up to Alejandro, folding his arms to block anyone from seeing where Felipe was going.

Alejandro was indignant. "How do we even know this signature on this new land grant of yours is authentic?"

Diego replied. "It certainly appears to be."

Palomarez interjected. "Trust me Senor de la Vega, it is quite genuine."

Alejandro wasn't ready to give up. "Can you _prove_ it?"

Palomarez was beginning to lose patience. "Perhaps you don't understand. I now own the land beneath your feet. I don't have to prove anything to you."

Alejandro was quickly losing his temper. "You'll have a revolution on your hands. _Hundreds_ of people will take up arms against you!"

Palomarez replied with a raised voice. "Then we will have _hundreds_ of executions!"

That did it. Alejandro held nothing back. "If you do, the only thing you'll have left is land – _worthless_ land. Without _people_ you'll have _nothing_!" Alejandro moved towards the door. "_Come_, Diego!" Diego dutifully followed Alejandro.

Palomarez saw the wisdom of what the old don said. After all, he didn't want to rule land, he wanted to rule people. "Don Alejandro – _wait_! Suppose – suppose you are right. What would I have to do to win the trust of the people?"

Alejandro turned around and walked right up to the Colonel, and looked him in the eye. Diego's eyes followed his father's footsteps, but he stayed where he was. Alejandro said, "I'll tell you what you have to do. Let _them_ judge the authenticity of this document! If it proves to be authentic, then you stand on firm legal ground."

Palomarez said, "You're suggesting a public forum."

"With an impartial judge to study the document." Alejandro thought he saw a glimmer of hope that might come out of all this.

Diego noted, "But that would require someone with no property interest at all. _Nothing_ at stake. And the territorial magistrate is in San Francisco now."

"I think I know _just_ the man." Alejandro said with confidence.

Z

On their way to the tavern, Diego looked at his father quizzically. He could tell Alejandro had something up his sleeve, because of the 'cat that ate the canary' expression on his father's face.

"So Father, who do you have in mind? Who is 'just' the man?" Diego asked.

Alejandro just looked at Diego and smiled. "There's really only one person in the pueblo it _could_ be. And he will be the perfect person – just you wait and see."

"I can hardly wait," replied Diego.

They rode the rest of the way in silence, with each man thinking his own thoughts. When they arrived, they found the tavern buzzing with talk of Colonel Palomarez. Alejandro quickly sought out Victoria.

"Senorita Victoria, we've been thrown out of our hacienda and we'll need rooms," Don Alejandro said.

"You've been thrown out?" Victoria was shocked!

"Yes, it appears the 'nicer' accommodations the Colonel had in mind – was our hacienda. He's moved in lock, stock and barrel," said Diego with some sarcasm.

"I'm so sorry," said Victoria. "Of course you may have rooms. I have two left. I hope you'll be comfortable here. It's not as elegant as your hacienda, but I try to maintain a certain level of comfort here, even though it is simple."

"Thank you Victoria," said Don Alejandro. "I'm sure we'll be very comfortable, right Diego?"

"Oh yes, of course," replied Diego, a bit distracted. His eyes darted around the tavern, looking to see if Felipe had arrived yet. He didn't see him.

"By the way, Victoria," said Alejandro. "Have you seen Sergeant Mendoza?"

**Z**

"_ME_? Why _ME_?" Sergeant Mendoza squeaked. Whenever Mendoza was totally shocked and surprised by something, or he was asked to do something he didn't think he could do – his voice took on a squeaking quality, which was in evidence now.

"Because you neither own property nor pay any rent." Alejandro answered.

"But Senores, I am not an expert on such things as land grants!" Mendoza was incredulous. He couldn't believe Don Alejandro was asking _him_ to judge the land grant.

"But you do know the king's signature, don't you?" Alejandro asked.

Looking upward, as if he was looking at it, "Oh si, it's on the garrison commission that hangs above the alcalde's desk. And the king's signature is right on the bottom."

"Good, then that's settled." Alejandro folded his hands in satisfaction.

"I'll see you both in the morning." Diego started towards the stairs. He knew he needed to get back to the hacienda and spy on Colonel Palomarez. He had to find out what Palomarez was really up to. But he had to 'appear' as weak Diego, and go to bed early. Since he didn't see Felipe elsewhere, Diego figured he would be waiting in the room. He hoped so.

"It's a bit _early_ isn't it Diego?" Alejandro noticed it wasn't even dark out yet. _What am I going to do with you, Diego?_ thought Alejandro. _I just don't understand you these days_.

As frail and fatigued as he could possibly say it, Diego walked up the steps to his room. "Yes, but it's been a rather trying day and I _do_ want to be up in time for the Sergeant's ruling," Alejandro watched him thinking, _'Really Diego! You can't be serious!_' but Diego climbed the stairs to his room. He peeked back as soon as he got to the door a moment, then quickly shut the door.

Felipe was waiting in the room with Zorro's clothes. "Did anyone see you come in?" Diego asked. Felipe signed 'strangers.'

"There's a stranger at the hacienda!" Diego snickered and playfully knocked Zorro's hat off Felipe's head, while pulling off his caballero jacket. "We'd better hurry." Felipe began handing Diego his black shirt.

Once changed, Zorro snuck out the window and Felipe led him to a stable where he'd hidden Toronado. They rode double until they got just outside the cave entrance. Zorro rode in first on Toronado. Felipe followed behind on foot, and closed the cave entrance door behind him. By the time they got there, it was dark.

**Z**

In the hacienda Library, Palomarez poured two drinks of white wine, some of the de la Vega's best, to Senor Bickle, an Englishman who was part of this scheme to take all the land of the pueblo and surrounding territory.

He handed a glass to Bickle, who rose from his chair and made a toast. "To Britain."

Palomarez added, "May the sun never set on her glory." Their raised their glasses. _This was going to be a very lucrative deal, _Palomarez thought to himself. _This will be my way of getting revenge on Los Angeles_. Since he'd been kicked out of the pueblo by Zorro, Palomarez set about thinking of a way to get revenge both on Los Angeles, and on Zorro. He had gone to a lot of trouble, but if the plan worked, it would be worth it! He would be a rich man, and Zorro would be dead!

"And when we control these western Pacific ports, she never will." Bickle took a sip of the finest white wine the de la Vegas could offer, even though they weren't there to offer it.

"It's only a question of money, Senor." Palomarez set his glass down on the serving table, then picked up a box that looked like a very small chest, with a rounded, hinged lid.

Knowing there could be trouble, Bickle said, "My government wants no difficulty with the local population." He'd heard stories about Los Angeles, and wondered why Palomarez had chosen this pueblo to take over. As soon as he heard the colonel's story of his first visit, he understood why, but he hoped it would not cloud the traitorous Spaniard's judgment. Because what Colonel Palomarez was doing _was_ treason – in the eyes of the Spanish crown.

Palomarez showed Bickle the box and pulled out the deed. "I have a new land grant signed by the king, which I am prepared to sell to you – with the full support of my people." His people…other dissatisfied Spanish colonial officers who had deserted the army and were now mercenaries – open to the highest bidder and out to line their own pockets.

Zorro watched through the peephole. He shook his head in disbelief. _So, he's become a traitor to the Spanish crown, now, has he?_ Zorro thought. _Obviously this is a case of forgery. I'll need to examine that land grant close up so I can rip him apart at the hearing tomorrow_.

"Senor Bickle," asked the Colonel, "Shall we discuss terms?" He led Bickle away from the fireplace. Bickle followed, wondering how much he would have to pay for this venture.

Zorro looked away from the peephole a moment, and turned to Felipe. "He's trying to sell our pueblo to the British."

Zorro continued looking through the peephole, but as the two conspirators moved out of the library, he could no longer hear what was being said. They were too far away. He continued to watch as the two men walked across the entryway over to the drawing room. As he watched, he saw Palomarez do something with his sword, but couldn't tell what it was, because the soldier's back was to him. He did know that the land grant was in that little round-topped box on the desk.

As Palomarez and Bickle moved into the drawing room, opposite the library, Bickle's concern about trouble surfaced. "What about this Zorro, the fox?"

Palomarez replied standing on one side of the writing desk, "Zorro – he is nothing. If he shows his face to me _this_ time, he's a _dead man_," emphasizing the last two words.

Bickle observed, as he moved to the opposite end of the desk, "You sound rather confident."

Palomarez picked up a small bottle from the desk and uncorked it. "A deadly poison, used by an obscure tribe of South American headhunters – a single scratch…" he drew out the word 'scratch' for emphasis. He continued, "…will mean slow, agonizing death." As he talked, he unsheathed his sword and dipped the point into the bottle. He held up the point of the sword to show the dangerous potential. Both of them looked at it. Bickle secretly thought _I'm glad this isn't meant for me. This man is highly dangerous. But, this should ensure we don't have any trouble._

The dinner bell rang. Palomarez put the unsheathed sword back down on the desk, and invited Bickle to dinner. "Ah. Dinner is served Senor Bickle. Shall we dine on the terrace?"

Still looking through the peephole, Zorro said, "I've got to get a better look at that land grant."

He waited until the coast was clear, then went through the fireplace, walked to the box and removed the land grant. Looking around, he hurried back to the cave. On the same desk was the poison-laced sword, but Zorro took no notice of it.

Once back in the cave, Zorro put the land grant under a small magnifying glass. He saw the king's seal and signature. He was impressed. "The forgery is brilliant. The king himself would be deceived." He had been studying the land grant for quite some time, and he now knew how to present the case as Diego in the morning.

Felipe pointed to the land grant and nodded his head.

"No, it can't be authentic; the parchment is much too porous. It's made from a tropical papyrus which can only be found in South America." He twiddled the magnifying glass in his hand as he spoke.

Felipe pointed out to the room.

"Yes, you're right. I must return this so that Colonel Palomarez can have his day in court." Zorro looked through the peephole. The coast was clear. The peephole couldn't have shown him that the Colonel caught a glimpse of his cape as he swished by, just as he returned from the terrace to ply Bickle with a bit more of the de la Vega white wine.

Not sensing danger and in familiar surroundings, Zorro boldly went to the desk and returned the document. The box was made such that both hands were needed to open and close it. As he replaced the document, he felt a severe sting, and whirled to face Palomarez.

Palomarez saw what he thought was a shadow, and thought he better investigate. Seeing the masked man, under his breath, he said to himself, knowing he had him 'dead' to rights. "Zorro." He stealthily picked up the sword and scratched a surprised Zorro on the left shoulder. Zorro rubbed a bit of blood between fingers on his right hand.

Zorro knew he was in trouble, but he would not show fear. _I can't believe I was so easily 'caught' unaware like this. I need to think, especially after my premonition!_

Palomarez laughed and held up the bottle of poison. Zorro pulled his sword. "You're being poisoned. You will be dead within 24 hours." He gave the mercenary a wary look.

Palomarez's words sank in. _This is no ordinary sword cut, _Zorro thought_. It stings much worse than a bee sting, and I can feel the flesh swelling up around the cut._

With a flick of his sword, Zorro was able to get the bottle of poison out of Palomarez's hand and into his own. He could feel a tingling going on his head. _I need to think. I need to get out of here, but I can't go through the Library. Ah – sorry Father…we'll need to replace this._ He jumped out through the window, breaking the glass and the some of the frame.

Bickle heard Palomarez laughing, and hurried in to see what was going on. He'd never seen the Fox, but he'd heard the stories.

Palomarez gloated. "_YOU'RE A DEAD MAN_!"


	4. Chapter 4  Forgery, Antidote & Cover Up

**CHAPTER FOUR – Forgery, Antidote, & Cover up**

It took 15 minutes before Zorro got to the cave from the countryside entrance. He'd run all the way and was a little out of breath. He forced himself to stay calm. He placed a hand on Felipe momentarily as if to comfort the young man, who he knew would be on the verge of panic.

"Were you watching?" asked Zorro.

Zorro held up the small, brown vial he had flicked away from Palomarez. His left shoulder felt as though it was on fire and he could feel the searing heat creep slowly away from the scratch, throughout his entire body.

He uncorked the bottle and sniffed. No discernible odor. "It appears to have natural origins," he said. "Possibly a refined snake venom." He re-corked the bottle and set it down.

Felipe pointed worriedly at his shoulder. There was blood on the shirt around the cut. Zorro could see the worry in his eyes. "Yes, I know," he acknowledged, putting his gloved right hand on the burning cut, "it's already inflamed."

"But even the strongest poison has to have an antidote," he said, some of his wits coming back to him. Felipe hopelessly shook his head. "Exactly," he agreed. "It would take months to research all possibilities. By then, I'll surely be dead."

Zorro noticed a white quill lying on the laboratory table and picked it up. An idea began to form in his head, one that hopefully would lead to his full recovery.

He tentatively touched the end of the white quill to his gloved left index finger and felt its prick. "Actually quite sharp, isn't it?" stating the obvious.

"Go down to the river and select a strong, straight thistle reed," he instructed Felipe who shook his head, not knowing where this was leading. "Because Felipe," Zorro explained, "we're going to get Colonel Palomarez himself to lead me to the antidote."

"Now, it's nearly sunrise. I must get back to the tavern before my father misses me. Hurry," he urged. He patted Felipe's arm to encourage him, and to encourage himself. Thank goodness the cut wasn't too long, but as the entry point for the poison it was sore.

Felipe ran as fast as he could. He'd heard Colonel Palomarez say that Diego only had 24 hours to live. That fact alone made him ran faster.

**Z**

While it was still dark, Zorro made one stop on his way back to the tavern. He snuck into Padre Benites' private quarters at the Mission. The Padre was fast asleep. Zorro sat on the edge of the bed, and put a gloved hand over the priest's mouth to keep him quiet. At that, the priest woke up startled. Zorro's voice hissed softly with all seriousness.

"Sorry, Padre, I must ask you to please not cry out," The priest nodded, and Zorro removed his gloved hand from Benites' mouth. Zorro lit a candle so that Father Benites could see who had interrupted his sleep.

"Zorro! What are you doing here at this hour?"

"Sorry Padre, I don't have much time – in more ways than one. Don't talk, just listen, comprendre?"

"Certainly. What can I do for you?"

"Padre, I've been poisoned, and if I can't get to the antidote, I may die very soon. I ask you to hear my confession and I will also ask a favor from you, should this be the last time I see you."

Padre Benites sat up in his bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He saw the earnest look of desperation in Zorro's eyes. "Tell me what's happened, my son."

**Z**

Just before dawn, Victoria got up to get the tavern ready. Today was a big day. Mendoza was going to rule on the land grant of Colonel Palomarez today. She just didn't know how they were going to get out of this. Everyone was going to be there. The guest rooms were all full, two of them being used by Alejandro and Diego de la Vega, who had been thrown out of their hacienda. She hoped that Zorro could help the pueblo find a way to rid itself of Colonel Palomarez. He had before, but she hadn't seen or talked to him since the colonel arrived.

She was in the kitchen when she thought she heard a small noise outside the door. Cautiously opening the door, she saw Zorro sneaking his way towards the tavern. But something was wrong. He held a hand to his left shoulder and swayed a moment. He nearly fell.

She ran to him, grabbed his arms, and whispered, "Zorro! What's wrong?"

He shook his head, trying to clear it. It was still dark, but he had to get to his room, and now Victoria was here. _Dios mi, what am I going to do_, he thought.

"Victoria, what are you doing up at this hour?" He put a hand out again, swaying. She grabbed his arm tighter and said, "Come with me, quickly!"

She led him into the kitchen and made him sit on a stool. "What happened?"

"I was doing research on the land grant for Don Diego, and…" he nearly fell off the stool. Victoria stifled a cry and grabbed him to keep him from falling off the stool.

"Zorro, tell me what happened!" she demanded quietly. He seemed to regain his balance a moment, so she got him a drink of water.

Zorro took the drink and gulped it down. He swallowed his pride, and said, "Colonel Palomarez poisoned me."

"What! How? When?" Victoria's alarm was written all over her face.

"About an hour ago, as I returned the land grant…he _scratched_ me…" The room started spinning again.

"He scratched you? What do you mean?" This was taking too long. She needed to get him somewhere to rest, but where? Her tavern was full.

"With a poison-tipped sword…he said I have 24 hours to live. The poison has already begun to work."

Victoria was in shock. "What are you going to do?"

Zorro looked at her with somewhat glazed eyes. "I'm fighting it the best I can while planning to find the antidote."

"And how are you going to do that?"

"I'm working on it. I've got Fffell…uh…I'm working on that." At that, he swayed again and tried shaking his head to clear it. He put a black-gloved hand to his head, then rose to leave. "Thank you Victoria, but I've got to go."

"Go? Go where? You need rest!"

"No…I've got to _be_ somewhere…very soon. I've got to go, before I'm missed."

Victoria put a hand on his right shoulder. "Is there anything I can do?"

He put a hand over her hand and said, "Pray. I think I need it. Pray for the hearing. Pray that Don Diego can present the evidence I'm going to give him…all the evidence he'll need to prove the document is a fake."

And with that, he quickly left a stunned Victoria standing in her kitchen alone.

Zorro snuck out and climbed up to his window. He had to wait five minutes before the most recent dizzy spell ended. _How am I ever going to do this, he thought? I've got to stand up as Don Diego, and present this evidence – supposedly without having 'studied' the actual document itself? I just hope I don't faint. That would give everything away. Padre, Victoria, please pray for me,_ Zorro thought. He rested a couple of minutes once he climbed through his window, while he changed in his Diego clothes. He noticed Felipe wasn't there yet with a reed, so he thought he'd go downstairs and wait for him.

A few minutes later, Victoria brought out a tray with a tea pot and five cups, and a few saucers. _Maybe I can't serve food,_ she thought, _but I can serve tea or coffee_. She looked up and saw Diego coming down from his bedroom. She noticed he came down a bit slowly. _He looks somewhat the worse for wear_, she thought. But, she couldn't help herself. This was very unusual for Diego to be up this early. "Don Diego, this is awfully early for you, isn't it?"

Diego replied, "Couldn't sleep. I guess I'm a bit worried about the hearing." He slowly lowered himself into a chair at the first table beyond the stairs.

Victoria thought about the upcoming hearing, and said, "Yes. Coffee?"

"Please. Maybe that's what I need." Her mind was still on Zorro. When he didn't know she was looking, Victoria noticed something not quite right about Diego, but dismissed it. She knew he was often 'ill', and slept through the morning many days, so she wasn't worried about it – or him. She couldn't understand how someone who looked so healthy most of the time – was so sickly. She didn't connect Zorro's problems with Diego's problems.

She poured some coffee into a cup. He flexed his left hand. His whole arm was getting numb and his muscles felt weak. As he reached for it, he fumbled the cup, dropping both it and the saucer, and spilled the coffee on the table, and on his hands.

Diego knew had to try to cover himself. "Sorry. I'm sorry." He put his hands in a gesture of surrender. He put a hand to his face in embarrassment and dizziness, then removed it.

She looked at him with a bit of concern, but thought nothing of it. He must be really tired, she thought. "That's all right. I'll get something to clean it. I'll be back in just a moment." She looked at him one last time, before she went back to the kitchen for a towel. The thought ran through her head – _he looks tired. He said he didn't sleep, but Don Alejandro said he went to bed before dark_. _I wonder what's the matter with him this time._

He wiped his hands with a napkin. _I've got to get through this_, he thought. The dizziness was increasing, with bouts coming more frequently, and he was beginning to lose muscle control.

Felipe ran in with a nice thin reed. He knew time was of the essence. Diego asked, "Find one?" Felipe handed it to Diego, who took it. "Perfect. Look how sharp I made the quill." He pulled the small feather from his pocket. He had cut off most of the plume, and whittled the point down until it was very sharp and would easily penetrate skin.

All of a sudden, Diego let a breath escape – he nearly passed out right there. "Oh…" He put his head down a moment. With a worried look, Felipe put a hand on Diego's shoulder for comfort and support.

"It's all right, the dizziness comes and goes."

He nodded. Felipe helped him up, and kept a hand on Diego's arm for a moment. "Come and learn the proper technique for hitting a target."

He patted Felipe's shoulder. Felipe bounded up the steps ahead of Diego, who slowly followed him with the reed in his hand. Holding on to the bannister, he slowly climbed the stairs, when yet another dizzy spell hit him, but not quite as bad as the one at the table. Felipe kept an eye on him as Diego climbed the stairs, making sure he was there if Diego needed help. Dizziness caused Diego to put his head down a moment here and there as he climbed the stairs. Victoria came from her kitchen to finish cleaning the table. She looked up and saw Diego's door to his room close.

Shaking her head, Victoria said, "I should have known. He went back upstairs for more beauty sleep." She giggled at the thought, but something was niggling in the back of her mind. Zorro said he'd been poisoned, and now Don Diego seemed tired. She wasn't sure what that meant, but she thought no more about Diego. She was worried about Zorro. He had asked her to pray for him, so she whispered a short prayer under her breath as she finished cleaning the table.

**Z**

Up in the room, Felipe helped Diego sit down on the edge of the bed for a few minutes until the dizziness passed. Then, Diego started his instruction.

"You put the quill in one end, then blow through the other, but you have to aim it like you aim a pistol. Think of the reed shaft as the barrel of a pistol or an arrow from a bow you want to shoot. Hold the reed very steady as you blow. Why don't you practice awhile?"

Felipe took the quill and the reed from Diego, then helped him lie down. He signed "rest."

"Yes, Felipe, I'll rest awhile, but I can't afford to sleep. I have to put my thoughts together for the hearing. Oh – draw a small circle on the far wall and see how many times you can get the quill in that circle. When you hit it circle nine times out of ten, you know you'll be ready to hit your target in the morning."

Diego got up and drew some paper and a pen out of his suitcase. He intended to write a few short notes to several people, and an outline to organize his thoughts. _This plan has to work_, he thought. _Dios, give me strength_.

Fffftttt! Felipe started practicing.

**Z**

Padre Benites was troubled by Zorro's visit. He got dressed and moved quietly into the chapel, where he lit a candle, then went to the foot of the altar to pray. Zorro had requested something very odd "in case" he didn't live through this. He said the de la Vega servant boy Felipe would be giving him some letters to distribute if…"Santo Padre, por favor…" Benites interceded for Zorro, and the man behind the mask.

**Z**

As Victoria finished cleaning the table, those niggling thoughts came to the forefront of her mind.

_Zorro could hardly stand up in my kitchen. He nearly fell off the stool. If I hadn't known he was poisoned, I would have thought he was drunk or something. Don Diego almost walked like a drunken man. He couldn't even hold his cup. Zorro had trouble too. _The thought struck her. _Could it be? But if so, I can't let on I know. I know how Zorro feels about people knowing his secret. Dios, I pray for Zorro. I pray for Diego. Help them both today, and if they are the same person, help him_.

**Z**

Up in Diego's room, Felipe was still practicing an hour later. Diego had finished his notes, and was lying down. Felipe had looked at Diego's shoulder cut. It was red and swollen, but it had stopped bleeding. They had cleaned it and put salve on it in the cave before leaving, as well as a few other smaller cuts he got from going through the window, which thankfully, weren't noticeable.

Despite his efforts to stay awake, Diego had fallen into a deep sleep. He had made Felipe promise to wake him in one hour, so he could finalize his preparations for the case at the hearing.

Ffffftttt! One last time, Felipe shot the quill into an outside wall where no one would hear it. He'd gotten his accuracy level up to Diego's standards. He knew there was no way he would miss Colonel Palomarez's neck.

At the prescribed time, he woke Diego, made sure he was lucid, then snuck out of the room before the rest of the guests were up, so he could make his way to the back room of the tavern to await Diego's signal.

**Z**

The tavern was crowded. All the caballeros, landowner farmers, and most of the businesspeople were waiting for the public forum – the hearing to start. Colonel Palomarez sat at the left end of a table with the box holding the land grant never out of his grasp.

Sergeant Mendoza relished his role as adjudicator of the legality of the land grant. He pulled at the bottom of his jacket. "_I_ will judge the document's legal appointment." Palomarez placed the box in front of Mendoza, who leaned over and said placatingly, "Not that there is any doubt of course. What do I do now?"

Colonel Palomarez was clearly annoyed at having to submit to this bumbling Sergeant in any way. "Examine the document." Palomarez was nervous. He felt all would go his way, but until the inept Sergeant actually made a formal ruling…and then there was Zorro. He knew there was a possibility he could still show up and interrupt the proceedings. _He must be feeling pretty ill by this time. Those headhunters knew what they were talking about_, Palomarez thought. _They used this poison against their enemies in the Amazon. I was impressed at the speed of the poison's work, quick enough to make you ill quite soon after exposure, but slow enough to torture the person being poisoned. And I do _so_ want to see Zorro tortured to death! No one has _ever_ humiliated me like he did! He must _die_ for what he did to me!_

Mendoza took the land grant out of the box and looked at it, held it up to read it, turned it over, then made his preliminary finding.

"This is a transfer of deed granting complete control of the territory to Colonel Palomarez." The crowd murmured. This wasn't going the way they hoped.

In the crowd, Alejandro and Diego stood towards the back. Diego blinked a couple of times to keep his vision clear. The Englishman Bickle stood by a wall, he was clearly nervous. Palomarez was pleased at the finding, and smiled. Diego leaned on to a post for balance.

Victoria spoke up. "Are you sure, Sergeant?"

Diego interrupted. "Excuse me Sergeant."

Alejandro was concerned Diego would get into some real trouble here. He put a hand on his arm to discourage any further talk, but Diego was not deterred. The dizziness had lifted for a short time, and his mind was clear. He knew what he had to do. He looked at his father to reassure him, and gestured.

"I may not have any skill with the sword but I _do_ know _fraud_ when I see it. Could you hold the document up to the light, please?" _I hope my energy holds out_, he thought. He was a little out of breath from standing so long. But he couldn't ask to sit down. That would practically shout his 'illness.'

Mendoza looked at Diego questioningly, but complied with Diego's request. "It still looks like the King's signature."

Diego's mind cleared and he got a small burst of strength as he began to state his case. "As it should. Enrique Rodero is very good at his trade."

At the table, Colonel Palomarez looked up at Diego obviously irritated. He had expected this to be a rubber stamp type of hearing. _What was Diego de la Vega up to? How did he know about Rodero? What else did he know – and how did he know it?_

Mendoza asked, "Enrique Rodero, who's that?"

Diego walked towards the table where Palomarez sat. It was the equivalent of taking front and center stage. "A brilliant man who left Spain to embark on a career as a forger and a counterfeiter…."

Mendoza looked at the seated commander, who was trying to maintain some semblance of calm, but internally, he was boiling.

"…He now resides in a Brazilian prison." Diego continued.

"There's absolutely no evidence of forgery here." Palomarez strongly refuted Diego's claim.

Diego struggled to keep focused. _I must think. I must present this case logically, point-by-point_, _so there is no doubt._ His mind buzzed at the outskirts of another dizzy spell. He put a hand to his head a moment, then dropped it to give the appearance of thinking, instead of trying to maintain balance.

"Perhaps he has had a recent visitor…" Mendoza looked suspiciously at Palomarez as Diego continued to make his case.

"…Someone who claims to have returned to Spain, but who in fact went to Brazil instead." He looked Palomarez directly in the eye, accusation in his eyes.

Palomarez rose quickly. "This is absurd!" To Mendoza, he commanded, "Make your ruling!"

Mendoza looked at the document again. "It certainly _looks_ like the king's signature."

Diego acknowledged that, then suggested, "Look at the watermark." Palomarez couldn't believe de la Vega could know so much about a document he had scarcely looked at_! Zorro! He was replacing the land grant when I scratched him! He must still be alive! He must have told de la Vega what he found out!_ Palomarez was scarcely able to contain his fury.

Mendoza asked, "What's that?"

Diego pressed his point. "Every _royal_ document bears the king's watermark." Diego walked back to his place by Alejandro. His father looked at him incredulously, but with great pride. _My son knows what he's talking about, but I don't know how he knows it_, Alejandro thought.

"It's in the parchment. Read it please." His eyes started to blur. He blinked his eyes wide to try to clear them. His only hope was that no one noticed his discomfort.

A low rumble went through the observers. Palomarez was incensed. This was not turning out the way he thought. Mendoza opened the document up and tried to read it.

"I'm sorry, I only read Spanish. This is in Portugese?"

Diego thought to himself, _Yes, that's it!_ To Mendoza, he said, "Yes, which is the native tongue of Brazil, I believe."

Diego was a little short of breath as he put the last nail in the coffin, so to speak, and he swayed. Alejandro could hardly take his eyes off his son, he was very proud. But his pride turned to alarm when Diego swayed. He grabbed Diego's arm to keep him from falling.

"Are you all right, son?"

"Yes, yes. I'm fine." He felt anything but fine, but couldn't let anyone know. Not yet, anyway.

Mendoza questioned. "I don't understand. How can a parchment from South America bear our king's signature?"

From his position by a wall, the Englishman Bickle looked absolutely irritated. He knew the game was up. His superiors were not going to be happy if this deal fell through.

Alejandro was so proud of Diego. He could now see where this was going, so he answered. He could also see his son's discomfort. "That's just the point, Sergeant. It can't." Diego looked relieved, but was still having trouble catching his breath.

Palomarez had heard enough. He quickly drew his sword and placed it at Mendoza's throat. "Make the ruling Sergeant."

The townspeople gasped. Diego was not surprised. After all, Palomarez didn't like losing. He knew that from experience. He waited for the right moment, which he knew was at hand.

Victoria spoke up. "That document is a fake and so are you!"

Palomarez threatened. "That's enough! We've all agreed to abide by your official ruling, Sergeant."

Felipe peeked out from behind the curtains of the kitchen. He waited for Diego's signal to shoot Palomarez with the quill. He'd practiced for quite a while, at least an hour, and had gotten quite skilled – up to Diego's standards of nine out of ten in the little circle he'd put in pencil on the far wall of Diego's room.

Mendoza squeaked. "But I know you'll kill me. "

Victoria was exasperated. She turned to Diego. She still couldn't quite put the two men together as one, in her mind. She hadn't totally convinced herself they were the same person. "Where is _Zorro_?"

Diego shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, still watching Palomarez. Victoria continued, "He should be here." Diego waited for the right moment to signal Felipe.

Palomarez heard the question about Zorro. Still with his sword at Mendoza's throat, he turned his head and said, "_Zorro_? That fool is saying his prayers. He's a dead man."

With Palomarez's focus turned away from Sergeant Mendoza, Diego turned back to the curtain to look at Felipe and nodded. Alejandro looked at Diego, a moment, but couldn't keep his eyes off the scene in front of him.

"Make the ruling Sergeant." Palomarez insisted.

Felipe aimed through a small opening in the curtains, and blew through the reed. A soft _Ffffttt_ was heard as the feather shot through the air. The quill hit its mark – the Colonel's neck. Palomarez winced from the pain of the quill. His sword came down, and he pulled the quill from his neck.

"What's this?" He looked at the little white feather with a black Z on it. "_Zorro_! He _shot_ me! With the _poison_! I'm being _poisoned_!"

Reactions from the townspeople – they weren't sure what to think or knew exactly what happened, so there was shock and surprise. Diego looked at Palomarez. _Way to go Felipe_, he thought. _New strength seemed to come to him. The plan was going well! Now! Now I can get the antidote!_

Alejandro looked at Palomarez, then looking for Zorro, his eyes drifted towards the curtains, then upstairs. Those were places Zorro usually came from when he showed himself. Alejandro wondered if Zorro would show himself now, but he didn't. _I wonder why_, thought Alejandro.

The Englishman looked with a mixture of sorrow and sympathy towards the colonel. _Caught in his own trap_, he thought.

"I'm being poisoned!" Palomarez made a hasty exit, with one of his guardsman following him. The other one stayed in the tavern as ordered.

Alejandro looked at Diego, then around to Mendoza.

One last thing Diego needed to do – release Mendoza to make his official ruling. He could hardly wait. "I believe you're free to make whatever judgment you wish, Sergeant." Alejandro looked with great pride at Diego. Diego just couldn't wait for it to all be over – so he could go after Palomarez.

Mendoza began to speak. "This document is a – what's a good word?"

Alejandro answered, "Uhm, fraudulent." Diego nodded, but he was beginning to feel faint again, so he said nothing. He blinked his eyes and he a bit short of breath.

Mendoza held up the document. "I declare this document to be _fraudulent_ – and it's also _no good_!"

The people in the tavern clapped and cheered, very happy with the outcome. Mendoza seemed very proud of himself. The people talked among themselves about how Diego de la Vega had systematically pointed out each flaw in the document. They also talked of Zorro and the Colonel's hasty exit, but they wondered why the masked man hadn't shown himself. He usually did. Knowing there was no chance of a reversal, the Englishman Bickle slinked out, talking to no one, but as he walked by, Diego watched him go with relief.

Alejandro was ready to celebrate. He had his land back. "This calls for a drink!" He turned to the bar.

Diego sighed with relief. He didn't think anyone is watching he put a hand to his head. O_h these infernal dizzy spells_! From slightly behind, on his right side, Victoria watched. Her curiosity got the better of her.

"Don Diego?"

At hearing his name, he quickly snapped to attention. "Hmm?"

"How did you know about the paper?"

"Books." He smiled at her, trying to make light of it all. "You can learn almost anything from books."

Victoria smiled, then giggled. "Yes. I should have known." But there, in the back of her mind, was that niggling again. _Something must be wrong; I'll cover for you, Diego._ She was too busy now, dealing with customers, to think about whether or not she was right.

Alejandro brought an extra drink with him for Diego, who refused it. He had to somehow make an exit. He had to get going. Every minute now was precious. It had been about 18 hours, and he didn't know how long it would take him to track and find Palomarez and the antidote.

"No thank you. All this excitement has given me a bit of a headache. I think I'll go upstairs and rest." He placed a hand to his forehead.

"Diego, are you all right?" Alejandro looked intently into Diego's face.

"Yes, Father. I'm all right." Diego blinked his eyes, hoping his vision would clear. "I'm sorry, I really need to lie down."

"Let me help you, son, please." He placed an arm on his swaying son.

"No, I'm sorry, I don't have much time. I need to go…rest." He gently, but firmly removed his father's hand. "I promise you, Father. I'll be fine. Trust me, please." There was an almost desperate quality to his voice.

Alejandro watched Diego as he climbed the steps. He knew something was terribly wrong with his son, but what? He saw Diego grab the bannister when he had only reached the second step. Diego put his head down to try to clear his vision. Alejandro watched with great concern. _I'm going to have to talk to that boy. Something is definitely wrong with him. He's not just tired, and he doesn't just have a headache. There's more to this_, Alejandro thought. _But what_? _I wish he would tell me_. _He is very ill_. _What did he mean, 'I don't have much time?'_ Alejandro was extremely worried.

He ran up the stairs and knocked on Diego's door. "Diego?"

Diego opened the door. "What is it?"

Alejandro thought his son looked more like death warmed over. _Oh no! That can't be_! _Palomarez said Zorro was a dead man! Then, he said he was poisoned, _he thought. "Diego, are you sure you don't need me to help you? Is there anything I can do?"

Diego looked at his father in desperation. "Please Father. There's something _I_ must do, and I must do it – now…or… or it may be too late! Please don't keep me any longer. I'm sorry, I'll – I'll – explain later. But I must rest."

As Diego closed the door, Alejandro thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye. It looked like a pile of black silk. Alejandro went back downstairs to rejoin the celebration. His face smiled, but his heart was with his son. _Vaya con Dios_ _Diego_, he thought.

Once Alejandro left, Diego quickly changed clothes. But with virtually no sleep, coupled with the poison continuing to seep through his veins, Zorro opened the window to climb out, but got dizzy again. He had to shake it off. There was so little time left. He had to pick up Palomarez's tracks as quickly as possible.

**Z**

_Toronado sensed that his rider needed all speed this morning, even though he could feel the Tall One's weakness. He had such respect for the Tall One. He would do anything for him. After all, Tall One had saved his foal. He trusted Tall One with his own life. He sensed the Tall One's greatness, even though he didn't always understand why he did what he did. There was an innate 'goodness' about the Tall One, a gentleness, yet he had great strength and fierce fighting spirit. And yet, like himself, Tall One also had a wildness about him. When he ran at top speed, and Tall One was healthy, they ran as one creature…free and wild. It was exhilarating! This morning, Toronado sensed the desperation of Tall One, and his weakness. When he felt Tall One was about to sway in the saddle, he would slow down a little and snort or whinny to get his rider's attention. That usually helped Tall One's concentration until the weakness had past, and he could again pursue at top speed._

Z

Colonel Palomarez rode hard. _I need to find the rare cactus quickly. The longer the poison stays in my system, the worse I will feel. So far, only my neck stings from the quill puncture. I know it won't be long before dizziness, balance and blindness will begin to take effect. I know the approximate place where I saw the rare cactus on my way to the pueblo, in case of an accidental poisoning of one of the guardsman. I never thought I would need it myself_. His anger at Zorro was now replaced by fear for his own life.

He and his captain rode swiftly into the desert near some rocky mounds. They'd been riding about four hours out of Los Angeles, when he looked around, and finally saw it! He actually saw a couple of the cacti, but only one of them was in full bloom, and it was the blossom he needed.

"Captain, there it is! I've found it!" Palomarez shouted as he climbed up a small rocky embankment to get to it. He pulled his knife out and was about to cut the blossom off when a sword blade was put to his throat.

_Zorro_! He had followed. _Yes_, thought Palomarez, _he's desperate, and so am I. But if we can bargain – maybe I can live through this._

Zorro stated the official name of the cactus, then said, "A man could travel 100 miles through the desert and not find another one of these rare blooms."

The colonel lifted his knife ready to cut the bloom off, but Zorro's sword held steady at his throat. "It's the antidote, isn't it?" Zorro asked.

"Yes. Yes, it only takes a single drop of the nectar to counteract the poison."

With a smile of one who had the upper hand, Zorro said, "Back away, Colonel."

Palomarez was desperate. "Please."

But Zorro's sword stayed in place. "I believe my need – is greater." Zorro swayed a moment, and was a bit out of breath. He put his head down a moment…

Suddenly the momentum changed, and Zorro no longer had the upper hand_. Dios mi, which Palomarez is the 'real' one_, he thought. He'd been dizzy for a day, now double vision was beginning to become more of a problem. It had started coming and going within the last hour, but was now a problem more often than not. When Palomarez talked, not only was it hard to see which one was the 'real' one, but his hearing was also being distorted. This was _not_ a good sign.

Palomarez sensed the momentum shifting and he knew it was the time to take advantage of it. "Do your _eyes_ bother you Zorro?" he asked tauntingly.

Palomarez stabbed at Zorro, but he sidestepped the action. At that point, Zorro saw the captain of the guard, and punched him out. The combat action threw off his sense of balance and he stumbled. He was still seeing double, and had trouble clearing his eyesight.

Palomarez decided to taunt Zorro with what was going to happen, as he drew his sword. He knew he had the upper hand. "First the eyesight. Then, all sense of balance." With that, he thrust forth his sword.

_Which Palamarez was real_? Zorro couldn't tell, so he fought both of them as if there were two people he was fighting, instead of one. The Colonel continued his taunt.

"And soon…death."

Zorro was becoming short of breath. He fought with the desperation of a dying man, which he knew he was. It had been about twenty hours since the scratch. _It's all or nothing, and if it's nothing, I'm dead_, Zorro thought.

Even though Palomarez a master swordsman, he was still no match for a desperate Zorro, and within a minute, the swordfight was over as the Colonel's sword went flying. The captain of the guard was still out for the count behind Palomarez on the rocks.

In a swift move, Zorro flicked the blossom off and was about to squeeze it. The Colonel exclaimed in desperation! "The flower!"

Zorro felt the advantage shift again in his favor. He knew he was going to live, and he savored the moment. "So delicate. So rare." He held the flower up over his head, opened his mouth, and squeezed. A drop of the precious nectar reached his tongue and spread throughout his system very quickly.

Seated uncomfortably on the rocks, with Zorro's sword above him within a foot of his throat, Palomarez was not above begging for his life. "Please. Let me have it," indicating the flower.

Zorro felt the nectar swiftly remove all traces of poison from his system. His eyesight returned to normal and his balance returned. He was no longer lightheaded, and his breathing returned to normal. He gained strength and energy with every passing minute. Since Zorro had Palomarez exactly where he wanted him, he was willing to 'bargain.'

"What do I receive in return?" Zorro asked, feeling stronger.

"Anything. Anything at all." Palomarez was desperate. He saw how quickly Zorro was returning to normal. Although nothing had happened yet, he knew it was only a short time until the dizziness started.

Zorro knew what he wanted. "All I _want_ is for _you_ to _leave_ California, _forever_."

Palomarez reached out for the blossom. "You have my word. My men and I ride for Mexico today."

Toronado got the idea that Zorro had something for him to eat, because Zorro's left hand was held out. The black stallion strolled over and ate the rest of the blossom. Palomarez was mortified!

"The flower! He ate the flower!"

Zorro joked, "Perhaps I'm not feeding him well enough." He patted the stallion's nose.

Palomarez said with disgust, "So, the great Zorro is nothing more than a murderer after all."

Zorro played with him then, smiling broadly. "Ah, the only poison _you_ need to worry about is in your own mind."

"You mean – the dart? There was no poison?"

Zorro's playful mood disappeared. "No, only the motivation to get you to lead me to the antidote. I have no need to kill another man, Senor, not even you. But if you return to this territory, and give me the need, and I will kill you."

"Si, I ride south."

Zorro's smile returned. "Then let me be the first to wish you safe journey." And he carved a lovely "Z" into Palomarez's jacket. He turned to mount Toronado, leaving Palomarez and his unconscious captain on the rocks.

Normally, the Colonel would be enraged to have his jacket so disfigured, but he was so relieved to be alive, knowing he wasn't going to die, he didn't care. He looked up for a moment and watched Zorro as he rode away – with Toronado rearing up victoriously.

**Z**

Zorro had little to fear now. What few lancers there were would be at siesta, so he could ride into town virtually unnoticed and complete the two short visits he had to make. The first was to see Padre Benites. He found the stocky priest tending his garden.

Benites heard a slight swish as Zorro's cape fluttered in the breeze. He turned and saw the masked man standing tall, with a huge smile on his face.

"I take it then, you are well, Zorro?"

"Yes, Father Benites, my plan worked. The Colonel led me to the antidote and I was able to secure it for myself. I must confess to something though."

"Gracias, a Dios! That is wonderful news, Zorro! Please, let's go inside."

Benites motioned for Zorro to follow him inside. They went to his sparsely furnished study, where they sat in two straight-backed chairs.

The padre asked, "Now, what is it you need to confess to?"

Zorro bowed his head. "I threatened to kill Palomarez if he ever came back to California."

"Zorro, may I ask you a question?" Benites asked.

"Certainly."

"When you threatened to take Colonel Palomarez's life, did you do so with hatred in your heart?"

"No. I could have killed him today, but – I told him I had no need to kill anyone – not even him. I did threaten him, though."

"And this makes you feel guilty?"

"Yes, Padre. I don't like to even threaten to kill – because I have no intention of ever killing anyone. But sometimes, I feel, the threat is all someone like Colonel Palomarez understands."

"Well son, as long as there was no hatred, anger, or bitterness in your heart, your motive was clean. All you need do is ask forgiveness for the threat itself. May I pray for you, Senor Zorro?"

"Certainly Father." Zorro removed his hat and got down on his knees on the floor. Father Benites put his hand on Zorro's head.

"Father in heaven, I pray that You aid our avenging messenger in his work for justice and truth. Thank You for sparing his life today. Continue to guide him in Your way. Et nomine patri, et filli, et spiritus sanctu. Amen." As he gave the blessing, Father Benites crossed Zorro, and crossed himself.

"Gracias, Padre." And with that, Zorro was gone.

**Z**

After the hearing, and the ensuing celebration, Victoria closed the tavern for siesta. It had already been a long day, and she was worried about Zorro. She hadn't seen him since very early morning, and she wondered if he was all right. She heard a sound in the kitchen, and went to investigate.

"Zorro! You're all right? Did you get in by jumping through the window?"

"Yes, to both questions!" he said with a smile and kissed the back of her hand. "I was able to trick Palomarez into leading me to the antidote – a rare cactus flower. Only one drop, and all dizziness and double vision passed. I am back to normal, perfectly fine."

"Zorro, why didn't you come to the hearing today? We really needed you!"

"Ah, but I _was_ there…and Don Diego had everything well in hand. I was able to give him the information he needed to present the forgery case. I heard he did an excellent job and that Mendoza judged the document 'fraudulent' and 'no good." He sat on the stool. Although the poison was gone, he was exhausted from lack of sleep. He was going to have to cut this short so he could go back to his room and rest before going back to help his father reclaim the hacienda.

"But Diego said he got it all out of books."

"Naturally. He isn't going to say he got it from _me_!"

"Zorro, may I ask you one more question?"

"Certainly."

"It seemed like Don Diego was also a bit dizzy today – as I noticed you were earlier this morning? Can you explain that? I am a little worried about him."

Zorro smiled inwardly. _So she's worried about both of me, is she_? "If he was dizzy, it might be because he had no sleep. We were both up all night, preparing for the hearing today. And now, I'm sorry, but I must go and get some rest myself. I just wanted to let you know that I…am all right. I think you must have been praying for me. Gracias. And I wouldn't worry about Don Diego. It's my guess, he'll be all right too, once he gets a good night's sleep."

And with that, he smiled, kissed her hand again, and left. His cape made a swishing noise as he left. Victoria sighed. She was falling deeply in love with that man, that gallant hero. He was everything she ever wanted in a husband. _He certainly knows how to explain himself_, she thought.

**Z**

Once back in his room at the tavern, fatigue took over from adrenaline. Felipe helped Diego change clothes. Then he helped him into bed. Diego was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Felipe loved taking care of Diego. It made him feel he was helping to repay the debt he owed for his life.

_I'm so relieved_, Felipe thought. He sighed as watched Diego sleep a moment. _I was so worried. He was so ill, yet he was so brave, trying very hard not to let on he was so ill._

Felipe rolled up Zorro's things and hid them in a cloth bag, then climbed out the window. He would take Toronado back to the cave and wait until Diego and his father came home.

**Z**

After siesta, Victoria saw Alejandro talking with a couple other caballeros, and watched for her chance to talk with him. Within a couple of minutes, Alejandro separated himself from them, and looked up towards Diego's room, the concerned look returning to his face.

Victoria saw that look, and walked towards him. "Don Alejandro, is everything all right?"

Alejandro shifted his gaze to the young woman coming towards him from behind the counter. "Oh, I'm a little worried about that son of mine. He's acting very strangely, and I think he must be really ill."

Victoria put her hand under his arm in 'escort' fashion. "Don Alejandro, would you take a walk outside with me a moment?"

Alejandro looked at her strangely, but said, "Certainly, my dear."

Victoria guided him through the kitchen and out the back door. No one was around. "Don Alejandro, I know you're concerned about Diego, but I think he's going to be all right. In fact, I'm sure of it."

"How can you be so sure? Do you know something I don't?" Alejandro looked at her somewhat suspiciously.

"I think if we put out heads together, we can figure out some things." Victoria was ready to tell Alejandro of her suspicions.

"All right. Since you brought me out here, you go first."

"Before dawn this morning, I ran into Zorro coming to the tavern. He told me he'd been poisoned by Colonel Palomarez, but he was working on a plan to get the antidote. He said and he Diego had both been up all night working on presenting the forgery case at the hearing. Zorro said he had gathered the evidence Diego needed and was giving it to him. But he also said he had to be somewhere before he was missed. Zorro was very, very dizzy, and had trouble standing without assistance.

"A short time later, Diego came down for a cup of coffee, and he fumbled the cup, spilling it all over his hands – and my table. He said he hadn't slept, worried about the hearing, but he didn't mention Zorro. And you had told me he'd gone to bed before dark last night."

Alejandro said, "I knew something was the matter with Diego. I've never seen him like this before, but he won't talk to me or tell me anything. I also thought I saw something in his room, but I can't be sure of that. But are you saying that you think Diego was suffering from the same thing Zorro was suffering from? Which you said – was – poison? That Zorro told you he had been poisoned?"

"Yes, that's what Zorro told me. And I think it's possible, I suppose, and yet, I don't know. They're just so different. Sometimes I look at Diego and I think it's impossible that Diego could be Zorro.

"Don Alejandro – Zorro visited me again just a short while ago. He said he was fine and that Diego would be fine after he got a good night's sleep. That's why I believe Diego will be all right. Zorro said so."

Alejandro smiled, as he looked at Victoria. "Well, let's give him a chance to explain himself, but if he chooses not to, we'll just have to let it drop – and never let him think we suspect anything."

They went inside. Later that day, the de la Vegas reclaimed their hacienda.

**Z**

A few days later, Alejandro and Sergeant Mendoza carried in the new window panels from where Zorro had thrown himself out the window to get away. Diego was working with loosening a broken glass part of the old panel, when his hand slipped, and he cut his right index finger on a jagged end. "_Ow_!" He flicked his hand up and away from the glass as if he'd been burned instead of cut.

He sat down and held his finger to his mouth trying to stop the bleeding. It didn't bleed much, but a glass cut can be somewhat painful. He knew he could 'milk' this for all it was worth – just to perpetuate the 'weak' Diego. He felt his father had gotten too close to the truth this week. He didn't want his father to hang alongside him should he ever be found out.

Alejandro said, "Diego please, let us handle it."

He had been worried about Diego, but after his talk with Victoria, he felt a lot better. He asked Diego for an explanation later, but couldn't get any more information out of him, so he let the matter drop. _All right son, whatever you say_, he thought.

As Sergeant Mendoza brought in another window panel, he said, "The colonel didn't take very good care of your house."

Alejandro stated, "He's gone, that's all that matters."

Mendoza confirmed it. "Our courier saw Palomarez and his men riding south." Then, he looked at Diego, believing that he would somehow know, because he knew before. "I hope he's not coming back."

Diego said with conviction, "I don't think we'll hear from Colonel Palomarez again."

His father asked, "What makes you so sure, Diego?"

Diego sucked on his finger a moment, then answered, "Well, I read about a similar case history in one – one of my behavioral books."

Alejandro looked skeptical. _I know there's something you're not telling me. I wish you would tell me what it is. You couldn't have presented that forgery case just from having read a book or two. You argued point-by-point, you could only have known if you had taken time to examine that document closely. And your illness…you can't fool me, son. But since you don't want to tell me, I won't be able to pry it out of you._

Diego replied, "Oh, you can learn a lot of things from books."

Alejandro continued to look skeptical. _What is it with Diego and books? _he thought.

Diego just smiled a half-crack smile, and still held his cut finger, pretending it hurt worse than it did. _It's all right Father. I know what you're thinking. I just can't tell you how I did it right now. Maybe sometime later…when we are free and safe from tyranny and oppression._

THE END

-17-


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